The variety of cultures in Oaxaca produces a great variety of handcrafts that exist in every region. I collect in this post a list of the most famous from Oaxaca.
ALEBRIJES
I start with the most popular handcraft. The alebrijes, these mystical figures are made by hand with copal or zompantle wood. When the artisan finished the wood work, the alebrijes are painted very carefully to get that colorful characteristic.
These handcrafts known all over the world have a lot of history, if you want to know more, visit: THE ALEBRIJES, DREAMS COME TRUE
BLACK CLAY POTTERY
One of most rigorous kinds of mexican pottery is without doubt the black clay. In these days it is mostly made for artistic terms, and thanks to its curious and long elaboration it has the reputation of today.
The elaboration of this pieces lasts days. And it is made in a special oven that has the name of “two mouths” (“dos bocas”).Thanks to this oven, it gets the distinctive black color, after this it has to be polished to get the shininess.
Know more about this handcraft in: THE BLACK CLAY (BARRO NEGRO), THE ESSENTIAL CLAY OF OAXACA?
RED CLAY POTTERY
Other thing that Oaxaca has is the diversity of clays. Chefs use the red clay to prepare dishes. On top of this pieces that can be vases, cups or plates you can taste some dishes in the great restaurants of the city, but also artisans elaborate some figures for decoration and art.
This kind of clay its not unique from Oaxaca, but has contributed to the variety of oaxacan handcrafts.
Know more about red clay in: THE SECRETS OF RED CLAY POTTERY
OAXACAN TEXTILES RUGS
You can see them mainly in the town of Teotitlán del Valle. Artisans make this textiles in a loom, usually a pedal loom. This process is all natural, the main material is wool and natural dyes, like “grana cochinilla (an insect)”. Another key point is that mats represent pre-hispanic codices and art from local and international artists.
Do you want to know more about oaxacan textiles? Visit: TEXTILES FROM OAXACA, TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE
REGIONAL CLOTHING
Each region has its own clothing from its towns, made with different processes and materials, they are a lot, but each one represents aspects of their region. For example the huipil from Huautla that represents local animals or the one from the Istmo that has flowers from the region in its embroidery.
You can see these in expositions, museums and the delegations from the Guelaguetza.
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